Bosnia and Herzegovina is full of natural beauty. Meet the Natural Park “Hutovo Blato.“
In the south of Herzegovina, in the typical Karst ambience, on the left side of the Neretva River, there is Hutovo blato, a unique submediterranean swamp in Europe. It has been known since ancient times as a green oasis, with abundant water in which conditions for life have found a large number of plant and animal species. The swamp is interesting and significant from the ornithological, ichthyological, scientific, ecological and touristic point of view.
Hutovo Blato is considered one of the largest bird breeding sites in Europe. Hutovo Blato territorially belongs to the municipalities of Capljina and Stolac, and it extends over swamp, plain and hilly terrain, with an altitude of 1 m to 432 m.
This area is fifteen kilometers from the Adriatic Sea, so it is under the influence of the Mediterranean climate. Because of its exceptional importance and beauty, Hutovo blato was proclaimed the Nature Park in 1995. Slipping into the dams and depressions of the Karst stream and surface waters from the surrounding areas create a greater number of lakes, jaruga, mold and river Krupa and provide a high level of groundwater. Such a high level of groundwater influences the occurrence of permanent and occasional sources and hot springs.
Hutovo Blato lakes represent real cryptopressions, because the bottom of some of the lakes is below the sea level (I’m 18 m). The largest lakes of Hut’s mud are: Deransko, Jelim, Drijen, Orah, Škrka and Svitava. Svitavsko lake is an artificial reservoir, which was created by the construction of the hydroelectric power plant Capljina. All lakes of Hut’s mud are interconnected by a large number of channels and ramps.
Forest and meadow vegetation are represented by many characteristic species that complement the biological diversity of Hutovo Blato. Significant types of these vegetation types are as follows: jasper (Fraxinus sp.), Oak (Quercus sp.), Veprina (Ruscus sp.), Pine (Punica sp.), Pine (Juniperus sp.), Willow (Salix sp.), (Ulmus sp.), Alder (Alnus sp.), Blackberry (Rubus sp.), Dud (Morus sp.), Nettle (Lamium sp.), Clover (Trifolium sp.). Some plant communities have only been developed, while others are very widespread and cover large areas
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